OXFORD, Miss. — LSU’s two-match winning streak against Southeastern Conference opponents came to an end on Sunday, as the Lady Tiger tennis team fell to the Ole Miss Lady Rebels, 4-3, in Oxford, Miss.
“It was a disappointing loss for us today,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “It’s always hard to play on the road in the SEC, but we didn’t play our best tennis today. We seemed a bit flat out there and when you’re playing against a talented team like Ole Miss, you can’t play reserved tennis. I have to give them (Ole Miss) credit because they rebounded in singles play to get the win.”
With the loss, LSU dropped to an overall record of 10-10 on the season and fell to a 2-8 record against conference opponents. The Lady Tigers also failed to extend their winning streak to three-straight matches against SEC rivals. LSU upset 13th-ranked Kentucky, 4-3, on Monday and blanked Mississippi State, 7-0, on Friday.
After losing the doubles point and falling behind in the match 1-0, Ole Miss rallied in singles play and reeled off four-straight victories to clinch the win over LSU. The Lady Rebels’ Florencia Basile earned the deciding singles victory on court No. 4 with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 win against LSU’s Amanda Mang.
Ole Miss improved to a 10-9 overall record on the season and upped its conference record to 3-7. The Lady Rebels will close out their SEC schedule on Friday against Mississippi State on the road in Starkville, Miss.
LSU jumped out to an early lead on Friday with doubles wins on courts No. 1 and No. 2. The Lady Tigers’ 34th-ranked combination of Bruna Colosio and Rocio Fantilli earned an 8-6 victory on court No. 1, while the tandem of Tami Botts and Amy McIlhaney clinched the point by defeating Ole Miss’ pair of Karem Harboe and Basile, 8-6, on court No. 2.
Both of LSU’s singles victories came in third-set super tiebreakers after the outcome of the match was already decided. On court No. 1, the Lady Tigers’ 65th-ranked Colosio knocked off Ole Miss’ 12th-ranked Mira Radu, 6-4, 6-7(3), 10-3, while McIlhaney outlasted Sabrina Peppl on court No. 5, 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-5.
With her win on court No. 1, Colosio extended her winning streak to seven-consecutive matches and improved her overall record to 13-7 on the season. LSU’s three-time All-American has defeated three opponents ranked in the top 50 this year. McIlhaney, the Lady Tigers’ senior from Marietta, Ga., upped her overall record to 19-14.
The LSU women’s tennis team will next be in action on Wednesday at 5 p.m., as the Lady Tigers host the Tulane Green Wave in an instate battle at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
Ole Miss 4, LSU 3
Doubles
1. #34 Colosio/Fantilli (LSU) def. Ignatieva/Adams (UM), 8-6
2. Botts/McIlhaney (LSU) def. Harboe/Basile (UM), 8-6*
3. Radu/Peppl (UM) def. Mang/Budd (LSU), 8-2
Singles
1. #65 Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. #12 Mira Radu (UM), 6-4, 6-7(3), 10-3
2. #57 Aleysya Ignatieva (UM) def. Rocio Fantilli (LSU), 7-5, 6-3
3. Karem Harboe (UM) def. Tami Botts (LSU), 6-1, 6-3
4. Florencia Basile (UM) def. Amanda Mang (LSU), 4-6, 6-0, 6-4*
5. Amy McIlhaney (LSU) def. Sabrina Peppl (UM), 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-5
6. Audra Adams (UM) def. Perri Budd (LSU), 6-3, 6-2
Overall Records: Ole Miss 10-9 (3-7), LSU: 10-10 (2-8)